Surprising Interaction Between Ants and Wasps

It has been reported in the New Zealand Herald that invasive wasps (Vespula vulgaris) have been watched picking up ants, flying off and dropping them far from the food for which they are competing.

Researchers Phil Lester and Julien Grangier at Victoria University say the ants are not always physically hurt but appear stunned by the experience and often do not return to the food. Dr Lester said the wasps "outcompete all sorts of animals for food in these beech forests and drive off anything" - sometimes even native parrots. "It could be the foraging ants that bring wasps to the food resource. Once there, they adjust their behaviour according to the level of competition imposed by these ants."